𝐅𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 》 JASON GRACE ¹

ᶜʰᵃᵖᵗᵉʳ ⁿⁱⁿᵉᵗᵉᵉⁿ

''MY GODS! SHE TOLD ME YOU WAS DEAD!''

After insisting that she was fine and pushed Thalia away for the fiftieth time, the dark-haired girl had turned and spotted Jason. A few moments of awkward silence had passed until Jason explained who he was and then Thalia was hugging him with all her might, just as she had done Noelani.

She gripped Jason's face and examined everything about it. ''Thank Artemis, it is you. That little scar on your lip - you tried to eat a stapler when you were two!''

Leo laughed, ''Seriously?''

Hedge nodded like he approved of Jason's taste. ''Staplers - excellent source of iron.''

''W-wait,'' Jason stammered, he had so many questions, (most of them concerning Noelani's well-being), but he mentally searched for the important ones. ''Who told you I was dead? What happened?''

At the cave entrance, one of the white wolves barked. Thalia looked back at the wolf and nodded, but she kept her hands on Jason's face, like she was afraid he might vanish. ''My wolf is telling me we don't have much time, and she's right. But we have to talk, let's sit.''

Piper did one better than that. She collapsed. She would've cracked her head on the cave floor if Hedge hadn't caught her.

Thalia and Noelani rushed over. ''What's wrong with her? Ah - never mind, I see. Hypothermia. Ankle.'' She frowned at the Satyr and Noelani. ''Don't you know nature healing? Noelani, surely you would've done something about this ankle?''

Hedge scoffed. ''Why do you think she looks this good? Can't you smell the Gatorade?'' Noelani elected to remain silent. Thalia was only trying to figure out what medicine Piper had already been given and what their opinions were on the matter, but Noelani heard it in a different perspective.

Thalia looked at Leo for the first time, and of course it was an accusatory glare, like 'Why did you let the goat be the doctor?' as if it as Leo's fault.

''You and the satyr,'' Thalia ordered, ''Take this girl to my friend at the entrance. Phoebe's an excellent healer.''

''It's cold out there!'' Hedge said. ''I'll freeze my horns off.''

But Leo could tell when they weren't wanted. ''Come on, Hedge.'' He said as he nudged the satyr forward.

''I'll go with you,'' Noelani said as she delicately took Piper from Hedge's hands, not really trusting a violent satyr with such a job.

''Humph, fine,'' the satyr muttered. ''Didn't even get to brain anybody.''

Noelani carried Piper toward the entrance. Leo was about to follow when Jason called, "Actually, man, could you, um, stick around?" Leo saw something in Jason's eyes he didn't expect: Jason was asking for support. He wanted somebody else there. He was scared.

Leo grinned. "Sticking around is my specialty."

Thalia didn't look too happy about it, but the three of them sat at the fire. For a few minutes, nobody spoke. Jason studied his sister like she was a scary device—one that might explode if handled incorrectly. Thalia seemed more at ease, as if she was used to stumbling across stranger things than long-lost relatives. But still she regarded Jason in a kind of amazed trance, maybe remembering a little two-year-old who tried to eat a stapler. Leo took a few pieces of copper wire out of his pockets and twisted them together.

With one last glance over her shoulder, Noelani left the cave, Hedge trailing after her.

Turns out, Phoebe wasn't very talkative. That was until Noelani asked her about her medical knowledge. As soon as that happened, she wouldn't shut up. Noelani was listening intently, making notes of everything and anything. Most of it she already knew, but she re-taught herself it just in case it was the thing she had missed when healing Piper.